METER HOUSING FOR FEEDING GRANULAR OR POWDERED MATERIAL, METER SYSTEM, AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT COMPRISING SUCH METER SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FEEDING GRANULAR OR POWDERED MATERIAL

• US 20180310470A1
• Filed: 10/06/2016
• Published: 11/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vaderstad holding ab
• Original Assignee: Vaderstad holding ab
• Inventors: GILSTRING, Gert
• Granted Patent: US 10,561,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 15/005 Undercarriages, tanks, hoppers, stirrers specially adapted for seeders or fertiliser distributors
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 15/04 using blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/08 Broadcast seeders; Seeders depositing seeds in rows
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/124 with top delivery of the seeds
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/127 Cell rollers, wheels, discs or belts
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/64 preventing bridge formation

Abstract

The present document discloses a meter housing for feeding granular or powdered material. The meter housing comprises a meter space with a material inlet and a material outlet, and a wall portion extending between the material inlet and the material outlet. The wall portion has substantially the form of a cylinder sector. The wall portion has a scraper part, which extends substantially parallel to a central axis of the cylinder sector.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A meter housing for an air lock feeder, for feeding granular or powdered material, comprising:

a meter space with a material inlet and a material outlet, and

a wall portion extending between the material inlet and the material outlet,

the wall portion having substantially the form of a cylinder sector,

wherein the wall portion has a scraper part, which extends substantially parallel to a central axis of the cylinder sector.

17. The meter housing according to claim 16, wherein the scraper part comprises at least one groove recessed in the wall portion, which groove extends along substantially the full axial length of the cylinder sector.

18. The meter housing according to claim 16, wherein the scraper part comprises at least one ridge, which extends along substantially the full axial length of the cylinder sector.

19. The meter housing according to claim 16, wherein the scraper part extends across a central angle for the cylinder sector shaped which is less than 10°

.

20. The meter housing according to claim 16, wherein the scraper part is located at an upper part of the wall portion in a vertical direction, preferably within a central angle for the cylinder sector corresponding to the most highly situated 45°

, the most highly situated 30°

or the most highly situated 15°

.

21. The meter housing according to claim 16, wherein the scraper part is located at a distance from the upper edge of the wall portion, which distance corresponds to at least 20%, at least 40% or at least 60% of the extension of the scraper part along a central angle for the cylinder sector.

22. The meter housing according to claim 16, wherein the part of the wall portion, located on a vertical level below the central axis is continuous without any additional scraper parts.

23. A metering system for feeding granular or powdered material in an agricultural implement, comprising:

a meter housing according to claim 16, and

a metering rotor, which is rotatably driven in the meter space while outer portions of rotor blades of the metering rotor are in contact with the wall portion.

24. The metering system according to claim 23, wherein the rotor blades are formed in an elastic material.

25. The metering system according to claim 23, wherein the rotor blades are pre-tensioned against the wall portion, and configured so that air leakage between the material inlet and the material outlet is prevented.

26. The metering system according to claims 23, wherein the scraper part is located downstream, viewed in a direction of material flow, from a vertical highest point at which said rotor blades are in contact with the wall portion, and within a central angle for the cylinder sector from the highest point corresponding to less than 30°

.

27. An agricultural implement for feeding granular or powdered material, comprising:

a container for the material,

an air flow generating device,

a channel connected to the air flow generating device, and

a metering system according to claim 23, arranged for feeding the material from the container to the air channel.

31. The metering system according to claim 24 wherein the elastic material comprises a rubber elastic material, TPE or polyurethane.

28. A method in an air lock feeder, for feeding granular material or powdered material in an agricultural implement, comprising:

receiving the material in a material inlet located at an upper portion of a meter housing,

using a metering rotor, having rotor blades which bear on a cylinder sector shaped wall portion extending between the material inlet and a material outlet, to feed a predetermined amount of material per time unit,

feeding out the material in the material outlet located at a lower portion of the meter housing, and

using a radial level variation in the wall portion to loosen material that is stuck between the rotor blade and the wall portion.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein said loosening is achieved downstream of the material inlet and upstream of a vertical level corresponding to the central axis of the metering rotor.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the rotor blades, from a vertical level corresponding to the central axis and onward to the material outlet, have a substantially constant bearing force against the wall portion.